Coupling



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W. DENZER COUPLING Filed July l2, 1921 2 Sheets-Smet 2 y. 27 @ga f//S Amm/Ey Panarea nee. ze, iam.

narran stares Leanne ."PTENT"@FFH@%Q WELLM DENZER, 0F NEW' YGRK, N. Y.

Application led .Tully 12, 1921. Serial No.A 484,074.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM DnNzER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of 191 West End Ave., New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to transmission couplings in general, and particularly to the kind known as link or flexible couplings.

The objects of my invention are to provide a solid shaft coupling adapted for units of high speed and great power, and it is particularly designed for connecting electric motors, turbines, dynamos, pumps, and like machinery.

A further object of my invention is to provide such device, consuming as little space as possible between two shafts to be jointed, having a neat appearance, being safe in operation, and adapted to be either joined or demounted without necessitating displacing of the shafts to be joined.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a coupling adapted to join shafts which are out of alinement, that is when their center axes are displaced either at an angle to each other, or odset either sidewise or in substantially vertical direction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a coupling which will space and take up the thrust between the two shafts joined by said coupling, no matter at what angular displacement, or how badly out of alinement the shafts may be.

The above advantages become particularly important, when my device is applied to shafts subjected to various vibrations, or where the shaft units became out of alinement by settling of bearings, or through other causes.

rlhe foregoing and further objects will be more fully apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing,

forming a part of Ithis specification, and in which:-

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a preferred form of my device.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. A1, and represents another preferred form of my device.

Fig. 3 is a sectionalview taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showingA the inner coupling member.

Fig. d is an end view of one preferred form of my device.

FigT 5 is a sectional view taken on -line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig., 6 is a detail view showing a pre-l ferred form of a'claw member.'

Fig. 7 is a sectional view therethrough, taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an inner view of the outer dange member'.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 1() is a detail view of a preferredV form of the inner or central member.

Fig. 11 is an inner view of a cup-shaped element for receiving the spherical center portion of the inner member.

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view takenen line 12a-i2 or rig. ii.

Referring to the drawings, numerals 1 and 2 indicate the shaft ends of a driving and driven or following unit, respectively.

Keyed at 3 and 4 to the shaft ends or otherwise associated therewith are ianged end or outer members 5 and 6, shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9.- 'lhe inner Aface of each of the dange members is preferably equipped with bosses 7 and 8, extending beyond angular recessed portions 9 and 10, adapted' to receive ring-shaped claw members 11 and 12 respectively, as shown in detail in Figs, 6 and 7.

The bosses and 8 register with the circular openings 13 and 14 of the claw members, which aree'quippedV at their periphery with a plurality of claws or lugs 15. These claw members. are ermanently associated with the flange'mem ers by meansof bolts' 16, and are solarranged that the claws of. one claw' member is set at substantially halfthe distance' between the claws of the other claw member.

Also registering with the circular 'cut-out portions 13 and 14 of the claw members, are cup-shaped thrust elements 17 and 18, as shown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12.

These clawmembers are provided with a central bore 19' for receiving a lubricant therein. rlhe thrust members abut with th` bosses 7 and 8 respectively, when the.de vice is in operation. f

Disposed between the end members is an inner or central disk lick member 20, shown in detail in Fig. 10, provided with an annular enlargement 21, having a plucurvature of the cup of the thrust members is somewhat larger than lthat of the curvature of the spherical part 23 of .the inner member, in order to provlde a swivel motion of the inner member between the yles outer Iiange members in the event that the shaft ends 1 and 2 are not in perfect alinement.

In assembling my device, the claws of claw member 11 engage two opposite notches provided in the inner member 20, while the claws of claw member 12 engage the other pair of oppositely disposed notches of the inner member.

In order to facilitate assembling, the inner member is provided with a plurality of apertures 25, registering with the bolt holes 26 of the claw members, which again reglster with the bolt holes 27 provided in the outer or flange members 5 and 6.

Similar to openings 25, there are provided between each two bolt apertures 26 and 27 of the claw members and claw flange members, respectively, operating holes 28 and 29, in both the claw and ange members, respectively. These apertures 29 register with the apertures 25 of the inner mem- The bolts 16 are preferably equipped with a head 30, (Fig. 2). The bolt is insortedA successivel through apertures 29, 28 and 25, until t `e threaded rtion has passed through bolt holes 26 an 27. Aper- `tures 29, 28 and 25 are suiiiciently large to permit bolt head 30 to pass therethrough.

It is obvious', however, that the arrangement of the bolts ma' be readily changed, as the bolts may be p aced at the perlphery of the flange and claw members (not shown in the drawings), in which case, however,

the diameter of my device would be increased. 1

.It will be noted- (Figs. 1 and 2) that there is a suiicient space provided between the claw members andthe inner members 15 .to permit the latter to swivel in the sockets of the cup-'sha ed members toward and from the faces o the claw members, when the shafts are not in alinement.

The spherical center enlargement 23 of the-inner member together with the cupshape thrust members 17 and 1-8 take up the axial thrust of the shafts 1 and 2, while in no way impairin the swiveling movement of the inner mem er. f

From the foregoing, it will be evident that my device is capable of fulfilling the requirements of a exible transmlssion coupling, adapted to make connections between two shafts, whether perfectly alined, out of alinement, orfat angularvrelation to each other, and has the advanta e of being a compact, and -absolutely positlvelyinterso vobvious that various i either metal or ber, or it may be so constructed that the peripherally inter-engaging parts may be of diferent material than the center ortions adapted to facilitate swivelin o the inner member.

In deslgning my device for manufacturing purposes, the shapes, connections, and'` the material employed may be improved by man skilled in the art, but the basic prin-` ciple of peripherally inter-engagiing elements with an inner element faci tating a exible joint between the rigidly attachedmembers must be adhered to. When it is desired to disconnectthe drivmg and driven units without altering their relative positions, it is only necessary to remove the bolts at one half of my device, whereby the latter becomes inoperative.

Havin thus described my invention, I reserve o r myself the right -to make such chan es and improvements derived at during t e process 'of manufacture, and what I claim 1s:-

1. A transmission coupling comprising a pair of rotatable outer members adapted to be rigidly associated with the ends of two shafts, a plurality of individual members disposed between saidl outer members and forming a unit independent from said outer members when not connected with the latter, said individual members` comprising claw elements, adapted to be rigidly but removably associated with said outer members, an inner thrust element, adapted to interengage with said claw elements, and outerthrust elements, adapted to engage said inner thrust element and capable of inde endent movement relative 'to said outer I I mem rs,4 said claw element and said inner thrustv element.

2. In a coupling, a pair of rotatable flanged members, substantially ring-shaped claver .elements adapted .to be rigidly but removably associated with each of said claws, said claw nelements being so disposed, that the claws of one element are at substantially the center of the space between the 4'claws of the otherelement, cup-shaped 125. anged members and having peripheral v centering elements capable of moving independently relative to their respective claw elements and flanged members, said center-l ing elements set Within each of said claw elements, a disc-like inner member having a spherical central enlargement adapted to be engaged by the cup-shaped elements and provided with peripheral notches for receiving the claws of both claw elements, thus' providing a flexible connection between said 10 New York and State of New York, this l5 9th day of July, A. D. 192.1.

WHJLIAM DENZER. 

